Rabbit Heart
by MyHikari
Summary: When the young, but unmarriable king Gaara of Suna went to Konoha for his friend's wedding, he never expected to return home with a wife. As for the shy Lady Hinata, she never expected to be that wife. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, she soon learns.
1. Prologue

Rabbit Heart: Chapter One

A/N: Sooo, I was going to wait to write this until I finished my KibaIno fic Grief in a few more chapters, but I got on an updating roll, and got too excited so here we are. Welcome to my new foray into GaaHina. I have two oneshots about them, Story Time and Sunset, so feel free to check those out. Anyway, without further ado...

I can't verify how often this will get updates, maybe once a month, or perhaps more frequently. I do want to get Grief out of the way first because I'm close to finishing it, but don't worry, I'm gonna work on this too!

* * *

It had all been quite a scandalous affair.

Prince Naruto was given a rather simple choice, and yet, managed to screw it up. Prince Naruto always was a wildcard. Supposedly, that was how his mother, Queen Kushina had been.

Hinata sat quietly, taking in all of the festivities around her. She had imagined this day so differently in her head, and yet absolutely nothing went according to plan.

Prince Naruto had been given a simple choice of a bride by the kingdom's council, either the vivacious Lady Ino of the Yamanaka clan, or herself, Lady Hinata of the Hyuuga clan. Nobody expected him to pick a simple handmaiden.

Somehow, it had been Lady Ino's handmaiden Sakura to catch his eye, and he promptly demanded that he be able to have the commoner girl as his bride, or remain celibate with no heirs. Nervously, the council conceded, fearing for the future of the kingdom.

Now, she sat at their wedding, watching the happy couple from afar. The new Princess Sakura was quite beautiful, she had to admit, but her heart still ached. She had loved the quirky Prince Naruto, and had been overjoyed when her clan wanted to arrange a marriage with him.

Following the news of Prince Naruto's scandalous choice, the Hyuuga clan had been in an uproar. They had attempted to appeal to the council, but Prince Naruto was adamant. He later admitted to her that he'd been in love with Sakura since the first time Lady Ino visited with her.

"You're a nice girl, Hinata, it just wouldn't be fair to you or Lady Ino," he had said, smiling sadly.

The Hyuuga had been scrambling like crazy to find an appropriate match for her, as there were many fine clans to choose from. Their next choice had been the younger son of the reknown Uchiha clan, Sasuke. As it turned out, Prince Naruto screwed everything up again, this time, by angling rather heavily for Sasuke to marry his cousin, so that he could be related to his best friend.

Running out of ideas, the Hyuuga turned to the Aburame clan, another powerful clan, only to find Shino had been engaged long before any of this had begun. Then they had turned to the Inuzuka, only to find the Yamanaka had managed to match up their daughter to Kiba, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

This came as a surprise to Hinata, who expected the Yamanaka would arrange her to marry the heir of the Nara or the Akimichi, however, her father explained later that the three clans never intermarried, so as to preserve their clan techniques. Hinata herself could not marry one of those boys either, as her clan's technique would likely overpower their own.

Thus, the noble Hyuuga clan became the laughing stock of the kingdom, unable to marry off their heiress. Hinata had thought to herself that perhaps it would not be so terrible to not marry right away, but never quite had the bravery to say so as her clan attempted to find new prospects.

"Hinata," came the voice of her cousin, Neji, bringing her out of her stupor. "Your father wishes to speak with you on the terrace." His face was unreadable, and she hadn't a clue of what to expect.

"Ok, thank you."

Heading from the ballroom to the terrace, and smoothing her lavender gown of any wrinkles, she found her father deep in discussion with a young man. Her heart sank. Had they finally found an available man? Leave it to her father to try to arrange a marriage at a wedding. Approaching the two, she got a good look at the man. He had red hair, pale skin, and very pale green eyes. The eyes were quite strange however, he had very dark rings around them, as if he had not slept for a very long time. Otherwise, he was very handsome.

"Hinata, I believe we have found you a suitable match at last," her father spoke, taking her hand and guiding her closer. She felt the man's eyes examining her, and she blushed, feeling as if he could see through her. Hiashi turned to the young man. "She's quite shy. Very quiet."

"That is agreeable to me," the man spoke. "I'm rather quiet myself."

"Hinata, this is the King of Suna, Gaara. He is a friend of Prince Naruto's, and has recently come of a marrying age," her father said.

"The King? I'm surprised you don't have women throwing themselves at you every day," Hinata said quietly, incredulous that he didn't already have a wife.

"I'm considered unmarriable," the young man answered flatly. Her eyebrows furrowed beneath her bangs. What an odd thing to say.

"That's ok, so is Hinata in these parts. We've had the most incredible bad luck trying to find her a husband," Hiashi said, making the most of the situation. He turned to his daughter. "I heard the young King was coming for Prince Naruto's wedding, and thought I would approach him. We are still working out the details of your marriage."

"I..I see," she stuttered out, playing with her hands in her nervousness. Distressingly, this was not unnoticed by Gaara.

"If everything works out, you'll be the Queen of Suna."

It hadn't sunk in until that moment that Hinata would have to leave the kingdom to move to another, somewhere completely unfamiliar, as a queen no less, with duties and responsibilities. She was in trouble, for sure.

The two men watched as she wobbled slightly, before passing out completely. Hiashi moved to catch her, but Gaara's young reflexes had reached her faster, as he deftly scooped her crumpling form up and placed her where he'd been sitting.

Hiashi merely sighed. This always happened to her at the most inopportune moments. What was he going to do with her?

"Hyuuga-san, I hope you understand that I did not come to this kingdom attempting to find a wife. I will need to contact my kingdom's council for advice on what the marriage contract should contain," the young King said, already anticipating he would need to stay here longer than he initially planned.

"Gaara! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"

Hiashi blinked in surprise as another young man greeted the young King in such a rude manner. He either knew the King quite well, or was incredibly ignorant.

"Hyuuga-san, this is my quite annoying brother, Prince Kankuro," Gaara spoke, eyes closed. "Kankuro, this is Hiashi Hyuuga. He is making arrangement for me to marry his daughter."

"What? You're coming home with a wife?" Kankuro seemed to be quite surprised, his eyes wide in shock.

"Why not? This may be my only chance."

Hiashi wondered what exactly made the young King so undesirable to the ladies of Suna. Politically speaking, his reputation was rock solid, he was accepted as a smart and competent ruler. Prince Naruto spoke rather highly of him as well.

The Hyuuga patriarch stood and bowed to the newcomer. "Hinata is a delightful girl, King Gaara. I'm sure you will find her a most suitable wife."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at the girl, passed out on the chair. "Is she ok?"

"She will be absolutely fine, this happens to her somewhat frequently. Gaara-sama, if you would like, the Hyuuga can would be most honored if you could join us for dinner tomorrow evening."

"I will be there, thank you," Gaara said, before leaving the terrace with his brother.

"Temari's going to blow a gasket for sure," Kankuro muttered.

"Temari is otherwise indisposed at the moment," Gaara replied. He had seen her sneaking off earlier, after all.

"So you got a marriage proposition from this guy and decided to just go with it?! We don't know these people, Gaara," Kankuro reprimanded, forced to be the voice of reason in Temari's absence.

"Precisely. She doesn't find me undesirable, and therefore will have no qualms about bearing me an heir. Then, the council will leave me alone about it," Gaara explained, frustrated by Kankuro not seeing his logic.

"I'm pretty sure there's more to marriage than that," his brother muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You can tell me that when you're a married man, Kankuro."

* * *

A/N: Ok, so, what'd you think?! Gaara's first impression of Hinata didn't go very well. By the way, he's not obsessed with getting married or having an heir or anything, he just wants the council off his back. The problem is, they want to secure an heir as fast as possible, but nobody wants to marry their daughter to him. So Hiashi made an offer in desperation, and G is running with it. I thought i'd clarify, just in case.

Anyway darlings, go ahead and leave me your thoughts, i'd adore to hear them!

MyHikari


	2. Language of the Quiet

Chapter Two

A/N: Hellloooo baby-bops! Happy Valentine's Day! Can I just say I am simply astonished by the amount of support this fic has gotten already! And here I was thinking it wouldn't get much attention. I'm glad to be wrong though!

rozen1331: Aww thank you! 3

LadyCassie: Me too, lol!

chikiblue: Aww, thank you! And by the way, I love your art.

Hyoyeon: Well in this chapter...dinner is served. *ba dum tss*

11: I'll try my darndest.

InfKat: Heehee, Naruto is pretty predictable.

ahmadaziz: I loved reading your review! It was so wonderfully long and in-depth. That said, I sent you a PM responding to quite a bit, so I hope you saw it.

Dotchi13: Ah yes well, they'll need time to warm up to each other!

* * *

"Woah, Lady Hinata? Really?!"

"Yes, her father approached me, and I decided to take their offer, given my circumstances," Gaara responded, as he walked with his newlywed friend, Prince Naruto. The excitable blonde was giving him a tour of his home for the umpteenth time, mostly to evade his no-nonsense grandmother, the Queen Tsunade.

"I can't imagine it being so bad for you. I'm sorry," Naruto spoke, sadness present in his usually cheerful blue eyes.

"How is your wife adjusting to the royal lifestyle?" Gaara asked, curious and wanting to change the subject. He still had no idea how he was able to so easily persuade the higher-ups to actually allow him to wed a commoner. Then again, Naruto did have a way of making the impossible, possible.

A dreamy expression crossed the blonde's face, and he smiled widely. "It's tough for her to be the one taken care of for once, but I'm so happy, and I think she is too."

"How did you meet again?"

"Well," Prince Naruto began. "She was the handmaiden of Lady Ino of the Yamanaka clan. Clans would bring their daughters to meet me, hoping I would pick them as my wife, and when she visited Sakura was with her. I thought she was so pretty, and I regretfully ended up stringing Lady Ino along a little just to see her. But one day, I injured myself in a spar with Sir Sasuke, and she immediately began healing me. Grandma happened to see, and sorta took her under her wing, y'know, teaching her new healing techniques because she was really talented, and I'm complete shit at it. I would use it as an excuse to talk to her, and I developed feelings. But the day I had to pick a wife was approaching, and I wasn't allowed to choose her."

"What did you do?"

"I demanded that Sakura be allowed to marry me or I'd remain a celibate king with no heirs. Grandma got on board fairly quickly, and the Kingdom's council agreed once they realized my only other relative was Lady Karin, and that her heirs would be Uchihas, since I kinda helped hook up her and Sir Sasuke. They just don't trust that clan... I don't know why though, the first king, Hashirama's best friend was an Uchiha, and my mom's best friend was an Uchiha, and my best friend is Sir Sasuke."

"Clan drama can lead to...complicated and delicate situations," Gaara stated, inwardly rolling his eyes. The Kingdom of Suna did not have as many noble clans as the Kingdom of Konoha, but that did not mean there was any less drama. That mess was part of the reason he needed a wife in the first place.

"Don't I know it. Be careful with the Hyuuga, they have their own fair share of drama," Naruto said, before immediately brightening at the sight of his wife, Princess Sakura, coming from the library with a book in hand. "Sakura-chan! You remember King Gaara, yes?"

The rosette looked up at smiled at her husband, before curtseying to the redhead. She was being far too formal for someone with the title of princess, which now made sense to Gaara. "I do. It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty."

"There's no need to be so formal, it is a pleasure to see you again also," Gaara responded, with a small bow of his own. "Naruto, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm supposed to dine with the Hyuuga clan tonight."

"Ah, no worries! You can visit anytime!" the Prince replied, sweeping his wife off her feet in a kiss when he thought Gaara wasn't looking.

The young king walked back to the entrance to leave, wondering inwardly the possibility of having a marriage as happy as his friend's.

* * *

"I do not think this is appropriate," Neji spoke, looking to his two cousins, sitting on an elaborate couch and waiting for the King of Suna to arrive. "You will be moving too far away for the Hyuuga to ensure your protection."

His wife, Tenten, rubbed his arm soothingly, trying not to bump him with her rather large stomach. Hinata looked to her hands, entwined with those of her sister's. It would be so very hard to leave them.

"Look at the bright side, at least he's young and handsome and not old and fat," Hanabi offered, only to be silenced by a glare from her cousin.

"I heard that for some reason the women in Suna won't marry him," Tenten recalled, sitting tiredly on another elaborate couch. She had previously been a handmaiden herself, and still managed to find some time to gossip with them, despite her new home with her husband.

Hinata frowned. "I heard that too. I wonder why..."

"Maybe he's bad in bed?" Hanabi pondered, receiving yet another glare. Hinata flushed fully, looking aghast at her sister.

"Ha..Hanabi, don't speak of such things! He could be here any minute!"

"He is here this minute," Neji answered, deactivating his Byakugan and heading to answer the door to the expansive Hyuuga mansion. Hanabi smiled encouragingly to her sister, rubbing her hand soothingly.

The young king soon entered the sitting room, flanked by a man and a woman. Hinata and Hanabi stood hurriedly, and Neji helped his wife up from where she sat.

"Y-Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to see you again," Hinata said nervously, inwardly cursing the stutter that came to her in moments of nervousness. Gaara nodded to her, before introducing the people he brought with him.

"This is my older sister, Princess Temari, and my older brother, Prince Kankuro."

"Th-they are your older siblings?" she asked, before she could restrain herself. Luckily, the redheaded man did not seem to mind the question.

"Prince Kankuro deferred kingship to me. He prefers the ability to make dumb choices."

Kankuro frowned, and Hinata could already tell he was somewhat of a dramatic individual. "Being king is boring, being a prince has all the benefits of the title without the drawbacks of ruling."

"Ignore him, Lady Hinata, he is a dumbass," the Princess Temari spoke, crossing her arms in annoyance. She was clearly a no-nonsense individual.

Hiashi entered the room, bowing respectfully to the king and his siblings, before inviting everyone to sit. "Your Majesty, thank you for coming."

"No problem," Gaara spoke. "I feel it is important to get to know Hinata, given the circumstances."

The girl in question felt her face flush again, as she looked at him across the sitting room. His eyes met hers, before she quickly darted them away, trying to look anywhere but at him. To think she was going to be marrying him!

"I think you will find our Hinata's dowry most agreeable," the patriarch said, eager to please the young king. The man had thought for sure that luck had evaded Hinata, with all those months of failing to find her a suitable husband. The excitement of his daughter becoming a queen was hard to conceal.

"To be honest, I'm not really concerned about that," Gaara confessed. Dowries were absolute nonsense, in his opinion. It was bad enough a family had to lose a daughter, let alone a large sum of money or property. Temari took out a small fan, and began to wave it.

"Now Gaara, let's not insult the man. We still haven't heard from the council on their feelings about all of this," the blonde woman advised.

"What are you concerned about regarding this union?" Hiashi asked, an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"I merely desire a companion, and I need to fill a requirement for heirs," the redhead answered flatly. "However, I will see to it she is comfortable and happy. I do not wish to use her as a tool."

Hinata's eyes widened. The things he was saying seemed terribly strange for a man of his position. She had expected she would have to provide him with heirs, that was obvious, but she had also been preparing to live a lonely life in a faraway kingdom. Neji's expression was unreadable, but Hiashi didn't skip a beat.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that. It is reassuring to know my darling daughter will be well cared for."

"Will we be able to visit Lady Hinata in her new home?" Neji asked, his self-control impressive. The Hyuuga women knew that Hiashi was greatly irritating him, as well as the situation overall.

"Yes," the king replied. "I would hate to keep her from her family."

Her family did seemed satisfied with the answer, and somehow the rest of the evening seemed to fly by, despite her expectations that it would be a painfully slow dinner. She even managed to keep a hold of herself when she was seated across from him.

Somehow, it wasn't as excruciatingly tense as she'd predicted. Her father talked politics with Gaara, and somehow Kankuro managed to discover Hanabi's more humorous side. Hiashi found their giggling incredibly inappropriate, but Hinata was amazed to see even the tough Temari crack a smile at their discussion.

"So your sister's shy, huh?" Kankuro had asked the younger girl, who nodded in response. "Oh great, now there'll be two uncomfortably quiet people in the house."

"Is the King not terribly talkative?"

"Nope. I think I can count on one hand the number of words he said to me last week."

"Oh dear..." Hanabi muttered with mock concern. ""They'll never end up speaking to each other will they?"

"Prince Kankuro, Lady Hanabi, with all due respect, we can all hear your conversation," Neji finally intervened wearily, after Tenten snorted in amusement at their conversation.

Hinata sighed inwardly, determined to prove the lackadaisical prince and her sister wrong. She still wasn't quite sure how she felt about everything, but knew that sinking into the earth to avoid her future wasn't a realistic solution to her problems. If she had to marry the guy, she may as well speak to him, right? Especially if they were going to...conceive heirs, she thought rather embarassedly. Her face flushed, seemingly random to everyone in the sitting room, where they had all sat back down after the meal.

"Your face flushes quite frequently, doesn't it?" Gaara asked in a low voice, now seated next to her this time around. A green eye studied her intently.

"Ahh, I'm sorry. I can't really control it," she apologized bashfully. He didn't seem to preoccupied, however, turning his focus back to the rousing conversation the rest of the group was having regarding the geography of the Kingdom of Suna.

Thinking of her goal to speak with her fiancé, she thought back to something that had been bugging her since earlier. "Ah, earlier, you said you wanted me to be happy. W..what did you mean, exactly?" she asked him, keeping her voice down purposefully.

"I meant it literally. If there are things I can provide that will help you to be comfortable, I will do my best to provide those things."

"But w..what if there's something I want that can't be bought?"

"What do you mean?" The redhead cocked a non-existant eyebrow, and Hinata felt more interested in that than she should. She blushed again.

"W..well, what if I fell in love?" She couldn't look him in the eye as she said it, nor could she stop herself from asking.

"What if you fell in love with me?" he replied.

She had not considered that, and it rendered her speechless.

However, it did allow her to hear Kankuro excitedly say to her sister "Hey look, they are talking to each other!"

"Perhaps quiet people have their own language?"

* * *

A/N: Ok, that's a wrap. I hope you guys are liking it!

A couple of you mentioned you like the title. I got it from a song by Florence + the Machine. The title is "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)." Feel free to listen to it, and try to see if you can guess anything about the story based on that! I'm really curious to see how fitting you think it is, as well as if you think you can predict anything off of it.

Anyhoo, love you guys! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

MyHikari


	3. Looking Glass

Chapter 3

A/N: Hello hello lovelies. I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've been going to school and working and watching Fairy Tail. I actually really like Fairy Tail. It's curing some of my Naruto pain.

LadyCassie: I know, isn't it kind of funny to think about?

Anonymous: Aww, thank you, anon.

Zalgo's Jinchuriki: Thank you!

beru-senpai: Thank you thank you!

InfKat: I take pride in my chapter titles!

Stitchpuppy01: Ahaha, well who wouldn't fall for Gaara? Thank you for your kind words!

_**Note: If you encounter a ship you aren't a fan of in here, don't be too concerned. They will appear very rarely.**_

* * *

Hinata found herself in Konoha's Royal Palace, attending a luncheon put together by the new Princess, Sakura. Sakura had apologized personally to both Hinata and Lady Ino, feeling responsible for any hardships she put their clans through, especially for her good friend, Ino.

"Ah, Sakura, don't worry about it," Lady Ino spoke, before taking a sip of tea. "At least you've married for love. We aren't all so lucky."

"Is your marriage to the Inuzuka that deplorable?" the Lady Karin, cousin of Prince Naruto and now wife of Sir Sasuke asked.

"He's an idiot and I dislike his dog," the blonde replied, before shrugging. "The sex is good, though. Very good."

Hinata's face flushed completely at the mention of such activities, though the other women, all married now, hardly bat an eye. Come to think of it, it did explain the bite mark on Lady Ino's neck, one that she didn't even try to hide.

"Apparently, that is the only thing they can do without arguing," Sakura explained to Karin, who was quite curious about the relationship as a whole. Both were quite brash, and according to rumors, neither had taken the news of their betrothal well.

"Ah. I wish Sasuke would argue with me, it'd be interaction between us at the very least," the redhead lamented. Sasuke was not a very attentive husband. This was not surprising to Hinata, who had observed him to be a highly reserved individual, except around his friend and rival, Prince Naruto.

"I'll admit, I used to have a crush on Sir Sasuke, before Naruto and I fell in love," Sakura admitted. She used to watch them spar when she would visit with Ino. After the Queen took her under her wing, however, she bonded with Naruto very quickly.

"Who didn't?" Ino asked, shrugging. It was no secret most women swooned for the young Uchiha.

The ladies all turned to look pointedly at Hinata, who hadn't said anything yet. Sakura smiled at her. "Lady Hinata, how is your engagement to King Gaara coming along?

"It's going...well, I think," she tried her best to reply. "King Gaara is very nice. He says he wants me to be happy, and he doesn't want to use me as a tool."

"Well I'll be," Ino said. "He's either a fantastic liar, or incredibly thoughtful."

"King Gaara is very nice," Sakura explained to her friend. "He's good friends with Naruto, apparently they're quite similar somehow."

If Sakura knew more, she wasn't letting on. Curious, Hinata looked to her. "Do you know why King Gaara is considered unmarriable in his kingdom? I'm very curious as to why that would be the case."

"Actually, I don't know. I'm sorry, Lady Hinata," Sakura said. "Naruto wouldn't answer that even when I asked."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Karin asked, peering at the girl from behind her glasses. "You have a right to know, at the very least."

"Maybe he's bad in the sack?" Ino suggested, pondering what it could possibly be. Hinata once again flushed fully.

"Why do people keep saying that?!" she whined quietly, wondering why both her sister and Ino thought that could be the reason.

"Are you going to see him soon?" Sakura inquired, wondering how she could go about convincing Naruto to tell her.

"Actually, we are supposed to have our first courting session tonight," Hinata said, flush reduced somewhat, but still present.

"Chaperoned?" Ino asked, cocking an eyebrow. "If it isn't, be careful. Kiba and I almost accidentally had sex in a garden our first unchaperoned session..."

"Are you a nymphomaniac?!" Karin asked incredulously.

"No, but it's the way my husband and I bond, you see. We argue too much for anything else." Ino explained, before smirking. "At least I can bed my husband..."

"I've been with my husband, I'll have you know!"

"Did he regret it later?"

"Ladies please!" Sakura cried out, interrupting the argument, and pointing to the future Queen of Suna, whose cheeks were as red as her future husband's hair. "You're corrupting poor Lady Hinata."

"I'm worried about her," Ino stated. "What will happen when the King decides he wants to take advantage of his marital right?"

"Lady Ino, I...I don't want to think about that at the moment," Hinata managed to say, even though now it was _all_ she could think about.

"Right, well, ladies, what would you think about meeting next week?" Sakura asked, attempting to change the subject.

* * *

For the rest of the day, all Hinata could think about was the prospect of having to sleep with her future husband, who was almost a stranger. The thoughts filled her with dread for meeting with him that night, especially when her father, in all his infinite wisdom, informed her it would not be chaperoned.

"Uncle!" Neji protested, "How are we supposed to ensure Lady Hinata's honor remains intact?"

"We shall trust the word of the King. It is insulting for a man of his stature to be thought to be untrustworthy by his future wife's family!" Hiashi spoke with finality. "Besides, it is not as if he is taking her off of our property. They are merely going to be getting to know each other on a stroll through our gardens."

Hinata flushed, remembering Ino's words. "_Kiba and I almost accidentally had sex in a garden our first unchaperoned session..."_

Squeaking with displeasure, Hinata excused herself to her bedroom to dress herself for the night, bumping into Tenten in her haste to escape.

"Woah, Lady Hinata, slow down. You'll hurt somebody!" the brunette clucked, ushering her into her quarters. As Tenten used to be Hinata's handmaiden, the two were quite close. It was quite lucky for Tenten, that Neji as a side branch member of the clan had been allowed to marry a commoner. The two had been into each other since childhood.

"What's got you so discombobulated, huh?" Tenten asked, looking in Hinata's closet in order to suggest an outfit.

"Ahh, Tenten," Hinata began shyly. "Y-you have...made love right?"

The former handmaiden looked at her as if she were crazy, gesturing slightly to her large, pregnant belly. Hinata blushed in embarassment, having forgotten.

"Lady Ino speaks so much of it...and I'm nervous for when I'm finally married."

The woman came towards her bed, setting a nice dress onto it for her to change into, and put her hands reassuringly on the younger woman's shoulders. "Hinata, you don't have to be afraid. King Gaara seems like a very understanding man. Besides," she started, turning the girl to look at herself in her vanity mirror. "What do have to be afraid about? You're very beautiful, and the pain isn't so bad."

"Even so, I can't help but to be nervous..."

"You should get ready soon, he'll be arriving shortly," Tenten said, patting her head. "I should go find Neji before he sends a search party for me."

* * *

Tenten was correct, Gaara had arrived in no time, Hinata barely being ready to greet him. Her hair was pulled up into a simple bun, and she wore an attractive, but simple navy dress.

"Lady Hinata," he greeted politely, upon seeing her. Trembling slightly, she curtsied, trying to shake away any thoughts from her conversation earlier. She had absolutely no intention of _that_ coming up.

"King Gaara."

"I understand we will be exploring your clan's gardens?" he asked, examining her appearance and those ever flushed cheeks.

"Yes. I'm quite fond of them, actually. I love tending to the plants," she explained shyly, leading the way through the house towards the back, where the compound gardens would be.

"I must confess I know little about such things. My kingdom is mostly desert."

She was saddened by that, as it seemed she could not bring that hobby to her new home with her. "Are there any greenhouses?"

"A few. They're mostly used for medicinal herbs. Would you like a greenhouse of your own?"

She sat down on a garden bench, and looked at him, surprised. "You don't have to go to such trouble, King Gaara."

"I told you I would see to it that you are happy in your home, did I not?" Gaara asked, joining her on the bench and enjoying the reflection of the setting sun on the garden's pond.

"Y..yes you did, and I..I'm very thankful for that," she spoke, watching him gently examine a white flower hanging over them from a tree, touching the velvety petals hesitantly, as if afraid he would cause them to fall off. "B..but in the desert, it would probably be best not to waste scarce resources like water for your subjects on a few flowers."

"How astute of you. I wish more of Suna's nobility thought that way."

"Your Majesty?"

"You'll find out for yourself in due time, I'm sure. They're quite frivolous. A condition my father created, I suppose. What do you do in your free time?" he asked, completely changing the course of the conversation. Hinata struggled to come up with a proper answer, still trying to process what he'd told her.

"W..well, I like gardening and reading, as well as pressing flowers and knitting. I like to cook, but the servants rarely allow me to prepare meals myself."

"You've been groomed to be a wife your whole life, haven't you?" he asked, once again watching her with his extremely observant eyes. She froze, wondering what he possibly could have meant by that.

"Well...of course I have, Your Majesty. I never had much choice in the matter."

"You may simply call me Gaara."

"Ah, sorry...Gaara," she said tentatively, hoping her father wasn't around to overhear. He'd surely reprimand her for her rudeness.

"Is there anything you wish to ask of me?" he asked, hoping to encourage conversation. He wasn't particularly talkative himself, but he didn't want her to think she could not speak.

"Ah...why...why are you considered unmarriable in your Kingdom?" she asked, heart hammering in her chest in anticipation. He froze, considering what to say, and she could not drag her eyes away from his pensive features, afraid to miss his response.

"I will tell you once we are married," he promised her, taking note of her disappointment. She wanted to know so badly, but he was not yet ready to tell her. "Is there anything else?"

She looked to her hands, as she wrung them out nervously. What was a question he would answer? "What do you do in your free time?"

"I don't have any," he replied, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere, as well as the changing colors of the sky as the sun traveled further down the sky. Her presence was very calm, and he was relieved by that. "I attend to the Kingdom all day, taking breaks to eat and sleep."

"Surely that can't be good for your health?" the girl asked, examining his features. Maybe that was what caused those dark circles? Even know, he did look tired, though it was well concealed.

"Likely not, but you needn't be too concerned about me."

Still playing with her hands, she frowned slightly. "B..but surely you cannot take care of your people, if you cannot take care of yourself..."

For perhaps the millionth time, his eyes examined her thoroughly. It made her uncomfortable when he did so, and nervous she upset him, she began to babble, turning to watch her reflection in the small garden pond instead of meeting his watchful eyes.

"I..I'm sorry, Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness, I did not mean to-"

"It's fine," Gaara cut in gently, sounding entirely unoffended. "You are far too kind, Lady Hinata. I fear for your meeting the nobility of Suna."

Hinata stared at him confusedly. Were they truly as terrible as he made them out to be? Was the Kingdom of Suna politically dangerous?

"Your Majesty, Hinata, dinner is ready in the dining room," came the voice of Hanabi from down the path, approaching the two and curtseying towards Gaara.

"Of course," Hinata replied, standing in a hurry and tripping over the hem of her dress. Feeling herself be pulled upward from underneath her arms, Gaara set her rightwards back on her feet.

"Do be careful," he said quietly, before heading back towards the Hyuuga estate. Hinata stood, an embarassed flush spread across her face. Hanabi snickered at her, before taking her sister's hand.

"Come on, Hinata. Wouldn't want to keep your fiancé waiting," the younger girl said with a smirk, leading her to catch up with the redhead. "Oh, and _do be careful_ when you reach the steps..."

Hinata huffed slightly, before flouncing past her sister into the house.

* * *

A/N: Ahh, there we have it. I felt like I was writing this forever! I hope you've all enjoyed it! I'm especially enjoying sarcastic Hanabi myself, mwahaha! Not to mention a sex crazed Ino...

Anyhoo, please leave a review telling me what you think! I get very excited to read them!

MyHikari


	4. A Deal is Made

Chapter 4

AN: Ya know, I really meant to update a different story first, but I just couldn't bring myself to write for it, before suddenly I was sucked into a hiatus. Doesn't help that all my friends came home from school, either. Sorry my darlings. I'm a disappointment.

KaOrU HiMuRa24: I'm sure the guys will make an appearance soon! I love all of those clowns.

CenturysRuin: Welp, I'm so happy to know you're excited for all the nitty-gritty politics and mysteries I have in store!

InfKat: Well, they're no Kiba and Ino, that's for sure.

Eizleina-chan: I think I covered everything in our PM's, but I must say, I really enjoyed talking with you as well as reading your analysis! By the way, Florence + the Machine released a new song called Delilah today.

misao97: Thanks!

* * *

A knock on Hinata's bedroom door stirred the heiress from her book. She blinked, and looked up to see her cousin's face in the doorway, his face reflecting some irritation. "Your father and your fiancé are talking in the den. I thought you'd like to know."

Suddenly sitting more upright, and setting her book to the side, forgotten, she frowned. "Do you think I should join them?"

"That remains to be seen-"

"Why not? They're probably talking about you," Hanabi offered, her face popping into view from behind Neji, who scowled at her interruption.

"W..well, yes, I'd think so," Hinata mused, rising from her white armchair, wringing her hands and pacing nervously. "I..I didn't even know he was here."

"He arrived about an hour ago," Tenten said, her head also popping into view. Unfortunately, her stomach bumped Neji forward into Hinata's room, earning her and Hanabi a look.

"You're all terribly nosy, aren't you?" He asked, looking down at his wife and cousin. Tenten grinned, and crossed her arms the best she could, mimicking his stance.

"Well you're the one telling her when nobody called for her. I'd say you're pretty nosy yourself."

"I just happend to walk by and see them, I wasn't_ snooping_!" the male insisted, before looking to his cousin. "Do what you will with the information, I just thought you should know."

Watching him leave, Tenten smirked at the pair of sisters. "Don't mind him, you know how it is, pregnancy hormones and all."

"I think I should go check on them," Hinata murmured, moving to go past them. Her cousin's wife grabbed her arm, and met her eyes.

"Are you sure your father will be ok with that?"

"I doubt he'd make a scene in front of the King," Hanabi guessed, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders and directing her towards the hallway. Hinata nodded numbly, Hanabi's words fueling her courage, and moved to find her fiancé and father.

Tenten looked to Hanabi, the two still in the girl's room. "What're you doing?!"

"If she's in there, we can say we're waiting for her instead of getting caught eavesdropping!"

"Ohhh, I see what you're saying!"

* * *

"It's so nice to finally have the details smoothed out on paper, isn't it Your Majesty?" Hiashi said, reviewing the agreements they had come up with. The pair sat in Hiashi's den, around an antique table of heavy oak. The clan head handled most of his business here.

"I will have the Council review this upon my return," Gaara affirmed, fingers interlocked. "I'm sure they will find the terms agreeable, however."

"How long will you be gone for?"

"A little over a fortnight, most likely. There are some matters I need to attend to back in my Kingdom, it would be difficult to handle them from here," the young king explained, troubled, yet not showing it. He had received a letter earlier this morning from his trusted advisor, Baki, urging him to return. Some nobles had been causing quite a ruckus in his absence, it would seem. To think, he'd been gone a week and already they'd started trouble. In hindsight, he should've let Kankuro to oversee things.

"I understand completely, King Gaara. When will you be taking your leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. The trip to my kingdom takes 3 days, and I would like to leave as soon as possible. I am going to pay Queen Tsunade one last visit tonight."

"Very good. There is only one more matter to discuss..." Hiashi started, before a knocking sound interrupted their conversation. The patriarch frowned, and Gaara noted it was quite similar to the way his nephew did. "Enter," the older man spoke, his displeasure thinly veiled.

Hinata came into sight, a soft shade of pink seeming to tint her cheeks once she realized their attention was upon her. Her gaze fell to her feet, and her fingers held onto the ornate gold doorknob like a safety net.

"What is it, girl?"

"I..I heard King Gaara was here, so I thought that..perhaps I would...if it was alright...maybe just.." she tried to explain, but her father's gaze bore into her, stern and displeased with her interruption. It was becoming hard to get the words out correctly, in fear of being rude to their guest.

"Spit it out, Hinata."

"I was wondering if you needed me," she mumbled shyly, her grip now tight on the doorknob. Deciding to just leave them, she began to turn. "I'm sorry to have interrupted."

"Lady Hinata, wait a moment, please," Gaara said, stopping her in the doorway. "With Lord Hiashi's permission, there are a few things I wanted to discuss with you."

Hiashi allowed it with a curt nod, gesturing for his daughter to shut the door and approach their table. The girl was playing with her hands again in nervousness, cheeks aflame. Whatever was he going to do with her? He cursed whatever genes gave him a bashful heir, rather than a prideful Hyuuga.

"I will be leaving tomorrow morning, so that I may handle some things within my kingdom and prepare for you. I will be gone for approximately two weeks," the redhead explained to his future wife, once he felt he was able. "In the interim, I was hoping that I could entrust the task of planning our engagement party to you. That way, it will be arranged to your liking."

"Engagement party?" The question had tumbled from her lips before she could stop them. Mentally, she smacked herself. Of course there would be an engagement party, and she was daft to think otherwise!

"We were about to discuss it before you came in," her father explained. "We've decided that, while your wedding ceremony will be held on the Kingdom of Suna, your engagement party will be held here. Afterwards, you will return to your new home with His Majesty."

"Would that be something you would like to do? I would leave Princess Temari to help you," Gaara told her, examining her as he usually did, looking for signs of distress.

"I could do it," Hinata assured, though she already felt somewhat overwhelmed by the prospects of it. Attempting a small smile, she accidentally met his eyes, but it was he who averted them this time.

"Good. Lastly, I wanted to ask if the Lady Hinata is free tonight?"

She froze, turning to her father, who enthusiastically insisted she was, in fact, free tonight.

"I am to dine with the royal family, and Prince Naruto informed me that you are welcome to join us as the future Queen," the monarch informed her, finally bringing his eyes back up to meet hers.

Her gut twisted at the prospect of seeing Prince Naruto again, but the expectant eyes of her father seemed to burn holes in her sides. Gaara's eyes on the other hand, they were gentle, and perhaps a bit...hopeful?

"I would be honored to accompany you, Your Majesty," Hinata said, in spite of herself. She really did not want to come face to face with the prince again, but what other choice did she have? Her father would be furious if she ruined the deal he had in a place.

"Excellent," the king said, rising to his feet. "I suppose I will give you time to prepare for tonight, then. I will have you picked up at 5:30."

Precisely 4 hours, that was how long she had to prepare she noted, watching him exit the den after bowing politely to her father. She even saw him nod cordially to Tenten and Hanabi, who were sitting on a sofa in the hallway waiting for her. The pair seemed bored, though Hinata didn't remember them following her downstairs.

A small cough reminded her that her father was still in the room, and she turned to face him, once again playing with her hands. She knew he hated it, but she couldn't help it.

"You're very lucky your fiancé is an understanding and patient man, Hinata," Hiashi stated. "Had he been any less, your interruption would not have been tolerated, and we would have been back to square one all over again. You'd best remember that for the future. How can you be trusted by the King and his advisors if you prone to bursting in on important meetings?"

Hinata remained silent, used to her father asking these sorts of difficult rhetorical questions. It was his nature, especially when he was still interested in training her in the treasured techniques of their clan. Once he lost hope in her, he left her to Neji's mercy for training. It was quite difficult, as her genius cousin was quite ruthless. It had helped her improve somewhat, though.

"In any case, you must go get ready for your dinner with the royal family. I expect you remember the standards of dress I insist upon?"

"Yes, Father," she murmured, head hanging like a scolded puppy. Her bangs hung in her face, blocking her eyes from sight. It was a lucky thing, for if she met her father's gaze, she might've teared up.

"Very well, you're dismissed then."

She bowed, before shakily stepping out into the hallway, Tenten and Hanabi rushing to her side.

"Are you in trouble?" Hanabi questioned, noticing her sister's lack of eye contact. It was always a tell-tale sign she might cry.

"Ah, no...at least, I don't think so..." Hinata murmured, lifting her head. "But I have 4 hours to get ready to attend a dinner with the King at the Palace."

"Dear me," Tenten clucked. "We'll just have to go get you looking presentable then, huh? I'll help, it'll be like the old days before I married Neji."

"Ah, it alright, Tenten, you can rest," the girl explained to her former handmaiden helplessly, knowing Tenten would stubbornly insist anyway. "You don't have much longer before the baby comes."

"No no, the baby just looks heavy, I feel like I'm full of energy right now! I even cleaned our quarters today. Neji was upset though. He's so smothery, I swear..."

"I'll help too," Hanabi offered, for Tenten's sake. Hinata smiled at her thankfully, leading the way to her bedroom.

"I must confess, though, I dread seeing Prince Naruto again," Hinata admitted lowly to the two. Tenten placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, as the younger Hyuuga sister shrugged.

"We'll just have to make you look so good, nobody there will keep their eyes off you," Hanabi reasoned with a smirk.

"Or at the very least, the king," Tenten butted in, having a respect for the sanctity of marriage that young Hanabi didn't. "We should not be trying to catch the Prince's eye!"

"I don't want that," Hinata said, shaking her head, and opening the door to her bedroom for the women. "I just want to get this dinner over with."

"Is our dearest Hina-chan_ complaining_?!" Tenten cried, scuttling over to her friend and lifting her chin. "I'm sure it'll be just fine!"

"Wow, Hinata, this marriage is changing you!" her sister quipped jokingly, beginning to brush delicate indigo strands.

The heiress smiled for her sister, but she couldn't help the pangs of apprehension she was feeling.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so here we are! An update! Yay!

I must confess, I really like this story. I hope it doesn't feel too overdone and cliché for you all. Lemme know!

MyHikari


	5. Hiatus is ending!

Announcement

Hey guys, it's MyHikari! Don't worry, nothing is wrong, I just wanted to apologize for the unexpectedly long hiatus. I worked all summer, and I had been writing updates for all of my stories, when my tablet died and I lost everything. It was very frustrating for me, and I'm sure for you guys as well. I just finally got a new one, so I'll be working on getting those out to you really really soon. To make it up to you guys, you can send me ideas for oneshots if you'd like. I'll write up the ones I like.

Thank you for your patience. I'll try to update everything as soon as I can between work and school.

With love,

MyHikari


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